How good was Surtees?

This weekend's AUTOSPORT International celebrates John Surtees' career with a unique display of his iconic car and bikes, and a guest appearance from the man himself. Here's another chance to read MARK HUGHES' in-depth assessment of where Surtees stands among the F1 greats

John Surtees is a star guest at this weekend's AUTOSPORT International, where there will be a unique exhibition of iconic cars and bikes from his incredible career.

Ahead of Surtees' appearance at the world's premier motorsport show, here is another chance to read Mark Hughes' in-depth analysis of the 1964 Formula 1 champion's career and talent.

This article originally appeared as part of AUTOSPORT's John Surtees special, guest-edited by Dan Gurney and featuring insight into Surtees' relationship with Ferrari, his Can-Am years and a technical analysis of his Ferrari 158.

The unique status of world champion on two wheels and four is impressive enough, but that bald statistic doesn't properly get across just what a giant of a driver John Surtees was.

The history books record his 1964 world title with Ferrari and six grand prix victories; it's a proud CV, but sells his level far short. John's personality, his intense determination always to do things his own way, and his strong engineering aptitude led him down an F1 path that did not fully reward a quite exceptional natural gift.